


Blood On the Snow

by 13letters



Series: fare thee well, oh, honey [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels and Tragedy, F/M, For the Watch, Season/Series 05 Spoilers, in memory of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 11:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4136322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13letters/pseuds/13letters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blood was pooling around him, coloring him red, staining the snow, and it wasn't supposed to be like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blood On the Snow

It was strange, and it wasn't the first time he realized it. Now was just more relevant. More bitter, like the taste of copper in his mouth.

 _For the Watch_ , full of thieves and rapists and murderers. His new brothers.

And his arms were clasping around Robb, and there was a joy in his brother as they hugged, never knowing, never dreaming it'd be for the last time, but his arms were limp at his sides.

_For the Watch._

And Arya, childish, wolfish, boyish Arya was grinning up at him, nine years old and already a warrior maiden with Needle in her hands and calluses on her fingers.

Bran was aiming his bow, and _steady, keep it steady_ , he told him, and Sansa, silly, perfect Sansa, was smiling one of her smiles as he took care to pass a tray of lemon cakes to her during dinner, but he collapsed to his knees, ragged.

_For the Watch._

And Rickon, just a babe, with his first laugh chiming through Winterfell's halls marking him another Stark, a Tully, looking so much like Catelyn, and oh, he remembered a scant moment through his fever's haze, an auburn-haired woman weeping and praying and wiping his brow with a cool cloth and pleading to the gods for his life.

 _For the Watch_. And he was seeing them, their welcoming faces conjoining with the ones before him, and his mouth still tasted of copper, and he smelled it on the air, felt it leaking out of him to nothing.

Blood was pooling around him, coloring him red, staining the snow, and it wasn't supposed to be like this.

_For the Watch._

All he'd wanted was to do right by his brothers, protect his family and the seven kingdoms, do all he was capable of to lead against the coming winter, but his grappling breaths swallowed the sky as his lungs started to burn, and he was hugging Robb once more, eyes closed and sobbing.

The stars were hidden by clouds tonight, and there was a numbness clinging to him as he simply _was_.

Eddard was smiling at him, and Catelyn was weeping, and Benjen clasped him on the back before a woman he didn't recognize -- not Arya, but gods, it could have been -- took him in her arms.

 _For the Watch_.

He was looking at the stars, and they were so beautiful, the cold no longer burning but there, grey irises dull and open, frozen in time and forever as someone started to laugh.

And it was so strange.

The holes in his body were no longer gushing blood, pouring crimson on the snow, but he still couldn't breathe.

He saw them here, and he saw those he loved below, but all he could see was red while his loved ones held one another, held him.

_For the Night's Watch._

A man with silver-white hair looked at him and began to weep.

_He who passes the sentence should swing the sword._

Pyp and Grenn and Mormont and the deserter beheaded years ago gave him half a smile and a nod.

_We never should have left that cave._

He was breathing again, and he fell into Ygritte's arms as she cried.


End file.
